Curriculum - Question 1 - Discuss Definitions
Definition A: '' ''Definition B:''Ronald C. Doll (1988): "the formal and informal content and process by which learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills, and alter attitudes, appreciations, and values under the auspices of that school." ''Gloria Ramanjooloo Definition C: '' “The planned guided learning experience and intended learning out-comes formulated through a systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the auspices of the school for the learner’s continuous and willful growth in personal & social competence.” Tanner & Tanner (1975) Krichen Chetty''' '''''Definition D: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Definition 1 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Definition2 “The planned guided learning experience and intended learning out-comes formulated through a systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the auspices of the school for the learner’s continuous and willful growth in personal & social competence.” Tanner & Tanner (1975) Tanner and Tanner (1975) holds the view that curriculum needs good planning so that learning outcomes can be achieved through experiences and education to unlock the potential of learners. D. K. Wheeler (1967) supports Tanner and Tanner’s definition by stating that the school is the guide for the learners to achieve the intended goals and Green (1989) props up by adding co-curricular activities to it. To some extent, Tanner and Tanner’s definition is supported by the 'experiential continuum' referred to by Dewey (1938). The latter postulates that certain experiences are not educational. These could hinder the growth of a learner and distort the progress of further experiences since they always consist of actual life occurrences of individuals. Seen in the same light, Thompson (2001) supports that “because early experiences can enhance or diminish inborn potential, the environment of early experiences shapes the opportunities and risks that young children encounter”. The teacher is the instrument who helps learners to bridge the gap from the known to the unknown. In the light of Tanner and Tanner’s perspective on personal competence, Parris (2008) describes the learning experiences similarly to the affective domain of a learner that includes the internal and external emotions in relation to instructions. Pierre and Oughton (2007) further adds that instructions with affective domain in mind can have an effect on learners’ attitudes, beliefs and values. They acknowledge that “there is seldom cognition and psychomotor activity not accompanied by some emotion or affect”. In Tanner and Tanner’s work, the involvement of teachers in the curriculum development are to be restricted only to the classroom, school and school-system level since they are referred to as mere technicians who excel in their profession. Cremin (1965: 56-7, in Tanner & Tanner, 1975: 630) says that “education is too significant and dynamic for an enterprise to be left to mere technicians”. The subjectivity of teachers may influence their decisions in the conceptualization of the curriculum as stressed by Della-Dora (1976:52). As Weiss (1980: 176-177) pinpoints that there are other factors that may affect this conceptualization like classroom size, number of students, resources. The contribution of teachers in school decision making, could be relevant not only to their professional status, but mostly to learner’s needs. To Clegg (1973: 30), the teacher is the “heart of the system”, and should be the “ultimate arbiters of classroom practice” as stressed by Doyle and Ponder (1977). Tanner and Tanner’s work also ponders on the control of education to achieve a desired goal which is “the learners’ continuous and willful growth in personal and social competence”. According to Freire (1970), “education is not politically neutral: it is directly related to societal organization and structural reproduction. These ideas combined to Tyler’s work (1957) led to the conceptualization that curriculum and education are measurable. On the other hand, Connelly and Clandinin (1988) note that “curriculum can become one’s life course of action”. They call for learners to explore the world. Through globalization, world wide interdependence of aspects like economic and cultural life that includes education forces dynamic changes on curriculum development. Burbules and Torres (2000) describe the complex scenarios faced by schools due to the structural adjustment policies because of globalization. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ''''''